5 Amazing Moments From Star Wars: Lords of the Sith

Star Wars: Lords of the Sith follows Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine as they assault the Twi’lek homeworld of Ryloth, where a violent rebellion is ready and waiting for their arrival. It’s a strong Star Wars story, and it’s full of truly excellent, memorable moments -- and, surprisingly, not all of them have to do with the titular Sith lords.

Cham Syndulla, the Twi’lek leader we last saw in Season 1 of The Clone Wars, and father of Star Wars: Rebels' Hera Syndulla, takes center stage as the leader of the Free Ryloth Movement. He and his growing rebellion have some spectacular scenes.

Darth Vader ejects into space -- no big deal

Darth Vader is in his prime here -- the timeline puts us post-Revenge of the Sith but before Rebels. This is a Sith whose anger is festering, and he's able to manifest it in creative ways we didn't see in the Original Trilogy. In Lords of the Sith, Vader, unable to land his starfighter in a docking bay, opts to create one by smashing his Interceptor into an enemy transport’s gun bubble. He then pops his Interceptor’s hatch, unbuckles his straps, and pulls himself into the vacuum of space as his ship blows a hole in the hull. Using the Force, Vader pulls himself through space, into the wreckage, and then strides through the halls, cutting down Twi’leks with his lightsaber and choking their leader to death -- all while they’re broadcasting to Ryloth’s rebellion HQ. Vader just breathes in response to their concerned messages for a bit before informing Syndulla, “Your allies are dead.” Brutal.

The Twi’leks blow up a Star Destroyer

Syndulla’s right-hand-woman, Isval, leads a repair team into the depths of an Imperial Star Destroyer, which is under siege from her rebellion’s trap. Stormtroopers and Imperial officers, desperate to fix their sinking boat, lead the disguised freedom fighters to the flagship’s hyperdrive. Isval and co. take down a couple attackers, and she rigs the hyperdrive with explosives. She escapes by donning an Imperial uniform and hiding beneath officer corpses, before Darth Vader nearly carves a hole into her escape vessel.

Thousands of Imperials die when the Star Destroyer explodes spectacularly into millions of pieces above Ryloth, forcing Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader to flee to the planet’s barren surface.

Exit Theatre Mode

The rebels blackmail an Imperial officer

Syndulla leads Ryloth’s rebellion for good reason. He’s got an Imperial officer, Col. Belkor Dray, in his pocket, which he makes abundantly clear when he threatens and extorts Dray deep in a hidden cave. Syndulla proves that his relationship with Dray is far more in his favor than the Colonel’s when he reveals he is two steps ahead at all times, and always has been. Dray is completely helpless as Syndulla asserts his dominance, his knowledge, and his grip on Dray, and the Empire in turn. Isval is an ominous, intimidating presence throughout the scene, and it underscores just how in control and confident the Free Ryloth Movement is.

Isval liberates slaves...in her spare time

Isval takes a couple days to visit the Ryloth capital city of Lessu. In her downtime between scheming to assassinate Darth Vader/boarding and sinking a Star Destroyer, Isval takes to the sketchiest district of Lessu and hunts Imperial officers preying on slaves. In an effort to rescue a young Twi’lek servant, Isval pistol-whips a drunk officer, breaks his hand, and kicks his ribs in. She rescues the slave, gives her a hideout, and leaves. So The Free Ryloth Movement’s second-in-command spends her spare time busting Imperial heads and liberating women from slavery. Isval is always liberating. Turns out you can be an extraordinary person in the Star Wars universe without wielding a lightsaber or sitting in an X-Wing cockpit.

Vader and Palpatine’s terrifying team-up

The last quarter of Lords of the Sith sees Palpatine and Vader on the run and hunted by the rebels, but their combined might is frightening. Palpatine uses Force lightning to cook the inhabitants of a rebel freighter, as he and Vader simultaneously rip the ships out of the sky and slam them into the ground. We rarely get a glimpse at these two in action together, and as they slaughter Ryloth’s natural apex predators, and make their way into a peaceful, quaint village, we’re constantly seeing not only the duo’s complex relationship, but we get a clearer glimpse at exactly why the Empire is feared across the galaxy.